2 Cor 8: Studies

For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each chapter is divided into a number of studies and each study or passage has a simple four-Part, verse-by-verse approach, to help you take in and think further about what you have read.

Passage: 2 Cor 8:1-5

1 And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. 2 In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 3 For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, 4 they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people. 5 And they exceeded our expectations: they gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us.

A. Find Out:    

1.  Who does Paul start talking about now? v.1
2. What has been recently seen? v.2
3. What had they done? v.3
4. How had they approached Paul? v.4
5. What does he say they did? v.5 

B. Think:

1. What does Paul say was the state of the Macedonian churches?
2. Yet what had they done?
3. How does Paul say they achieved this?

C. Comment:

     To get to Corinth by land you had to travel down through Macedonia. The churches there (and we know Paul went to Neapolis, Philippi, Thessalonica and Berea – see Acts 16:6 on) had often suffered severe opposition and persecution. They were not well off and indeed they were often very poor. That much Paul tells us in this passage.

     Now comes the amazing thing: these churches gave financially in the most sacrificial way. Paul describes their giving as “rich generosity” and giving “even beyond their ability”. They had pleaded to be allowed to give to the needs of the people of God in other places. That was an incredible example for us. These people who had virtually nothing gave everything! This was quite unexpected. You would not have expected resources to have come from the poorest part of the Christian church, but it did. How was such a thing possible? By the grace of God (v.1)!   

When people give like this it is by the enabling of God. We need to understand this: you can’t give like this except by the grace of God – but you can ask Him for it! When we see a need do we rationalise how much we have and how big are our outgoings? Or do we go to God and ask for His grace to be able to give? When it comes to giving, if we use our intellect we’ll always come up with reasons why we can’t give. Giving is an act of grace where we need God’s help to give generously. 

D. Application:

1. When confronted by a need do we reason our way out of giving?
2. When we see a need do we ask God for grace to meet it?

Passage: 2 Cor 8:6-9

6 So we urged Titus, just as he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. 7 But since you excel in everything – in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you – see that you also excel in this grace of giving.

8 I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.

A. Find Out:

1. What had he urged Titus to do? v.6
2. What did he say they excelled in? v.7a,b
3. So what did he now exhort them to do? v.7c
4. Why had Paul been speaking thus? v.8
5. What does Paul say Jesus had done? v.9a
6. So that what might happen? v.9b

B. Think:

1. What was Paul encouraging the Corinthians to do?
2. In what 3 ways was he encouraging them to do this?

C. Comment:

     As we’ll see when we read on, Paul is now encouraging the Corinthians to give to the general collection that was being made. Titus had gone to them, and Paul had encouraged him, in turn, to encourage the Corinthians in their part of the giving. Paul uses three forms of encouragement for them to give.

  The first form of encouragement was PRAISE. They had been excellent at so many other things and now he wants them to excel in this as well. He praises them for what they have done well and encourages them to continue to do well in giving.

  The second form of encouragement of COMPARISON WITH OTHERS. The churches in the north, in Macedonia, had given wonderfully and he doesn’t want them to be outdone.

The third form of encouragement is REMEMBRANCE of Jesus. We are always to imitate Jesus and he gave up everything for the good of all others. Jesus left all the glory of heaven to come and live in a single human form. What an example.

    In each of these ways Paul is provoking the Corinthians to be givers. How do we fit in this? Do we excel in giving or is it a weak area of our Christian lives? Do others outdo us in giving? Are we imitating Jesus in our willingness to give so others can be blessed?

D. Application:

1. God sees no distinction between our material and spiritual lives!
2. Giving is as important as any other spiritual activity.

Passage: 2 Cor 8:10-15

10 And here is my judgment about what is best for you in this matter. Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. 11 Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. 12 For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have.

13 Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. 14 At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality, 15 as it is written: ‘The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little.’

A. Find Out:

1. What had happened last year? v.10
2. So now what does Paul encourage them to do? v.11
3. How is the gift acceptable? v.12
4. What does Paul want to achieve? v.13
5. How will that be achieved? v.14
6. What did he quote? v.15

B. Think:

1. How had the Corinthians shown generosity & care in the past?
2. How do you think those two things should go together?
3. What guidelines for giving does Paul give here?

C. Comment:

     Paul continues his encouraging the Corinthians to give to the collection that is being gathered. The previous year they had been in the forefront of giving and, indeed, they had been the first to desire to give having seen the need and wanting to meet it. Paul encourages them to maintain their position among the churches of being up front.

     In passing, note that willingness or, as it is in this context, eager desire that comes from care and concern, is the first element of giving. Not thoughtless giving because it is expected of you. No, seeing a need and feeling for the people is the Christian’s starting point.

     Once you have that, says Paul, your giving is acceptable because you have a right motive and it’s acceptable on the basis of what you have to give, not according to the size of the need. The need may be massive but if you only have a little yourself you are not to feel guilty about only contributing a small amount to meet the need (let others contribute the rest!).

     Look, he goes on, the idea is not that you get into financial trouble yourself trying to help others out; that isn’t helpful. No, we simply want to bring balance or equality so if you are rich you help raise up the poor, and for others to do the same when you are poor.

D. Application:

1. Giving should come out of heart concern. Can our hearts be moved?
2. Giving is in proportion to what we have. Do we have plenty?

Passage: 2 Cor 8:16-21

16 Thanks be to God, who put into the heart of Titus the same concern I have for you. 17 For Titus not only welcomed our appeal, but he is coming to you with much enthusiasm and on his own initiative. 18 And we are sending along with him the brother who is praised by all the churches for his service to the gospel. 19 What is more, he was chosen by the churches to accompany us as we carry the offering, which we administer in order to honour the Lord himself and to show our eagerness to help. 20 We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift. 21 For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of man.

A. Find Out:

1. What did Titus feel? v.16
2. So what was he going to do? v.17
3. Who else was going with him? v.18
4. What more was said about him? v.19
5. What did Paul want to avoid? v.20
6. So what were they doing? v.21

B. Think:

1. What are we told about Titus in these verses?
2. What are we told about the one accompanying him?
3. Why do you think there were to be two of them?

C. Comment:

     Paul has been encouraging the Corinthians to give to the general offering for the needy church at Jerusalem. Now he seeks to overcome any criticism there may be that might put people off giving. So often people say, “There’s no point me giving. Most of it will never reach the needy”. Things haven’t changed!

     No, Paul explains that Titus, who he has already mentioned a number of times and who has a real heart concern for the Corinthians will be coming to them to collect and carry the offering himself. In other words, they can trust the messenger who will carry the money! But not only that, he will not be alone; he will be accompanied by another who is well known by the churches, who is of high reputation, and who the churches have put forward for the task. We don’t know who this was, but it may have been Luke or Barnabus.

     The point that Paul was making was that they didn’t want there to be any stumbling blocks to the giving by the Corinthians, so he hoped he had fully explained how the gift would be taken so that it would be seen to be done in a right way, both before God and before men. It is important that when it comes to financial dealings in the church, they are seen to be open and above board, with no room for criticism.

D. Application:

1. All financial matters should be open and above board.
2. Poor administration should not be allowed to be a stumbling block.

Passage: 2 Cor 8:22-24 

22 In addition, we are sending with them our brother who has often proved to us in many ways that he is zealous, and now even more so because of his great confidence in you. 23 As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker among you; as for our brothers, they are representatives of the churches and an honour to Christ. 24 Therefore show these men the proof of your love and the reason for our pride in you, so that the churches can see it.

A. Find Out:

1. Who else were they sending? v.22
2. How did he describe Titus? v.23a
3. Why were the others going? v.23b
4. What did Paul exhort them to do? v.24

B. Think:

1. What credentials does Paul give Titus?
2. What had he said about the other first man? (v.18)
3. What does he now say about the other second man?

C. Comment:

     These verses may not seem very significant when measured against some of the other key verses of the Bible, but they do, nevertheless, say a lot to us. Remember we said that Paul was giving credibility to the men who were coming to collect the offering. Let’s consider each of these men who were going to Corinth, three now, one by one.

     First there was Titus who is to lead this delegation. Paul has already said much about him, how he had been blessed by them (7:7,13), how strongly he felt for them (7:15, 8:16). Now he adds that he, Paul, considers Titus to be his partner. He can’t think more highly of him. The leader has the highest commendation.

     Then there was the other helper mentioned in v.18, a man highly esteemed by the churches for his work in sharing the Gospel. He had been chosen by the churches to go along. Now he mentions yet another man who is declared zealous and who has a strong feeling of confidence in the Corinthians. He’s obviously someone who had been there and knew them well. He also seems to have been commended for the job by the churches. These are men who are well known and who each have a good reputation. Although unnamed they challenge us. Are we known by all the churches for our service in the Gospel, for our zeal, for our loving relationships. Unnamed they may be, but these men stand out like beacons in the kingdom of God. May we do likewise!

D. Application:

1. Am I known for my zeal for the Gospel? May it be so Lord.
2. Is my name a blessing on the lips of others? May it be so Lord.